My Son Is Going to Attend an Academic Gathering?

Dear Mr. Anderson:

I was very surprised to receive your letter; it is truly rare for someone your age to be able to summon Corporeal Patronus, and I am proud of you. Regarding your concerns about Animagus mentioned in your letter, I believe they are unnecessary for now.

While the animal an Animagus Transfiguration always seems to be the same as the Patronus they wield, this doesn't mean the two are necessarily identical. To my knowledge, there are currently no known Animagus capable of changing the animal they Transfiguration into when their Patronus changes. Of course, this may be related to the extreme rarity of Animagus possessing both transformation and Guardian abilities.

If you ever decide to learn Animagus, please don't practice on your own in secret; I will be happy to help you with that.

Merry Christmas Holiday! —Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmaster

After reading Professor McGonagall's letter, Albert's mood did not improve. Professor McGonagall's meaning was clear: she believed it was too early for Albert to consider the Animagus issue. Moreover, Professor McGonagall was clearly not very clear about the matter, as there were very few examples suitable for research.

"Perhaps I can write to Dumbledore." Albert took out a new parchment, but after thinking about it, he decided to abandon the idea for the time being.

Perhaps I was indeed too hasty. No matter the outcome, it wouldn't change because of his will, unless the panel could provide me with assistance.

Putting those thoughts aside, Albert got up, stretched, and went back to the living room. Tom was taking a nap on the sofa; when no one was home, he always liked to lie there sprawled out, claiming the sofa for himself.

As Albert sat down on the sofa, the Lazy Cat's ears finally twitched. It came over, rubbed its head against Albert's arm, and then climbed onto his lap. This guy was actually quite heavy.

"You need to lose weight. You're so fat, you can't even catch a mouse." Albert grumbled as he reached out and scratched Tom's ears and chin, and even brushed his fur with a comb. The guy seemed to enjoy it, squinting his eyes.

"Tom, do you want to go to Hogwarts? But you'll have to catch mice to fill your stomach then," Albert joked. "Lots of students at the school keep cats; maybe you can find one you like."

"Meow!" Tom seemed to sense Albert's deep malice, jumped off his knees, and with a quick swing of his short, stubby legs, darted behind someone's feet.

"Are you going to take Tom to school?" Nia asked curiously, holding Tom in her arms.

"No, I just wanted to scare Tom. He's gotten fatter lately."

Just then, there was a knocking sound on the glass outside. Nia went over, opened the window, and saw a brown owl fly into the room and throw a letter in front of Albert.

"You have so many letters!" Nia looked at Albert in surprise as he picked up the letters. Since returning from the Christmas Holiday, she had received at least six letters, and each one was from a different person, with different wax seals on the back.

"Your vacation is even busier than mine!" Herb joked, placing another cup of hot cocoa in front of Albert and asking curiously, "Who sent it this time? Another pen pal?"

"Professor Broad, the professor who worked at Hogwarts last semester." Albert took a sip of hot cocoa, casually tore open the envelope, glanced at the letters inside, and knew what it was about.

"Here you go." He handed the letter to Herb.

"Is that alright?" Herb raised an eyebrow.

"Um."

"Professor Broad invited you to a party?" Herb was a little confused after reading the letter. A professor inviting his son to a party about alchemy? Herb really didn't understand what was going on.

Is it like inviting a junior high school student to participate in a university professor's academic research?

Moreover, the other party had thoughtfully arranged the entire itinerary, allowing Albert to meet at the Leaky Cauldron first, then be picked up and taken to their manor for a visit, followed by an alchemy gathering. Finally, before the start of the semester, the professor would escort Albert back to Hogwarts. There was absolutely no need to worry about Albert's safety.

"Well... it's just an academic gathering anyway," Albert replied after thinking for a moment.

"An academic gathering?" Herb's expression became even more peculiar. He sighed softly and said nothing more. "I'll take you there."

"What are you talking about? Don't leave me alone, okay?" Nia pouted a little angrily. Daisy came out of the kitchen, curious about what they were talking about, but after hearing Herb's explanation, they were both a little stunned.

"You're going out to play by yourself again!" Nia was a little unhappy. Albert had finally come home for a visit, but he was going out again after only a few days. There was no one to chat with her, tell her stories, or watch TV with her.

"I won't be staying long; I'll be back in a couple of days," Albert assured him.

"Oh, okay, I know you're a very busy person." Nia patted Tom's belly and muttered to herself, "Indeed, Tom is the best."

"Meow!" Tom rubbed against Nia's hand, and she pulled out some dried fish from somewhere and fed it to him.

Albert was speechless. No wonder this cat was so fat.

At noon on January 10th, Albert appeared at the Leaky Cauldron. He had arranged to meet Professor Broad at noon, and was just about to have lunch at Old Tom's when Professor Broad, wearing a cloak, appeared in the pub without warning.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Brood, would you like a drink?" Old Tom greeted Professor Broad with a smile.

"Oh, no need, I'll come pick you up." Professor Broad greeted Albert. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Hold on tight, I'll take you somewhere."

"Apparition?" Albert asked curiously.

"Yes, there's no Floo Powder connection there, so this is the only way." Professor Broad reached out his left hand, and as Albert raised his hand to touch it, the two disappeared together into the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron.

They arrived outside a villa in a very nice setting, which, if you had to pick a place, could be considered a small estate. However, it seemed that no one had lived there for a long time.

"This will be the venue for this alchemy gathering, and we'll be staying here for the next couple of days," Professor Broad winked at Albert. "There are quite a few interesting books inside; I think you might find them interesting."

"It looks like no one has lived here for a long time," Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're right. However, it will soon have a new owner." Professor Broad didn't seem to mind and explained with a smile, "The house- House-elf have always taken good care of it, so it's very clean and people can live there freely."

The two passed through a layer of Protective Magic resembling mist and entered the manor.

A House-elf stood at the doorway, bowed to them, and led them into the hall.

"Noel, we'll be staying here for a few days. Please arrange a room for Mr. Anderson, the one next to the study," Professor Broad instructed the House-elf, who glanced at Albert furtively before bowing slightly and leaving.